Office Integrator and Belarc Advisor

[ChiefZeke]

I used the Office Integrator to make a new Office 2003 Pro CD that inluded SP3, hotfixes, compatability pack and viewers and used the new CD to install that version of Office on my #1 system.

I then used the Office Integrator to do the same for Office XP Pro (upgrade) which is installed on my #2 system.

After these integrated/upgraded versions of Office were installed, sometime later I happened to run the Belarc Advisor - first on #1 then #2. I was a bit surprised to notice that Belarc reported many critical updates were missing - first when I checked my #1 system then about a week later when I finally got the Office XP Pro CD ready for #2 system.

I can only assume the OI integrates the service pack, hotfixes/hotpacks, etc in such a manner that Belarc is unable to determine what 'fixes' have been installed.:(

I firured I'd come here and pass this info along to those writing the OI and for those using it - especially when the Belarc Advisor is also used and some could be surprised at its results.:rolleyes:

[crashfly]

If I remember correctly, the update site for office and windows both look at file versions more so than registry entries to determine if a "hotfix" is installed. On that, many security or 'fix-it' programs are made to *just* look for the registry entries. The people creating those programs have not actually taken the time to determine which files are required to make a "hotfix" applicable. IMHO, I do not think it is wise to try and let a program try to determine what updates are installed for another program which was not written by them. It tends to cause problems if done incorrectly.

Depending on which version you used, there was a time that registry entries were not being applied correctly. I do believe the latest version has resolved most of those issues. That could also be some of were the problem lies.